Library - VCA Guidance

VCA Guidance

The Verified Conservation Area (VCA) Registry recognises the area-based conservation actions of individuals, communities, companies and others. It is open to any area – marine or terrestrial – that has a conservation programme as set out by this Standard.

The VCA Standard sets out the requirements for registering an area as a VCA.
[Published: 2018]

A biodiversity baseline study is the work done to collect and interpret information on the biodiversity values occurring at a site, their current condition, and trends before a project commences. The biodiversity baseline study plays important roles in supporting the assessment of impacts and risks of a project, applying the biodiversity mitigation hierarchy, and designing the long-term biodiversity monitoring program (if one is required).
[Published: 2015]

As defined by WWF, an ecoregion is a "large unit of land or water containing a geographically distinct assemblage of species, natural communities, and environmental conditions". This WWF document contains the requirements for classifying regions into a set of pre-defined ecoregions.
[Published: 2013]

The Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation are a product of the collaborative work of the Conservation Measures Partnership. As a starting point, CMP members used the results of the Measuring Conservation Impact (MCI) Initiative, a 2002 study that reviewed experiences in seven fields – conservation, public health, family planning, international development, social services, education, and business – to determine common concepts of and approaches to good project design, management, and monitoring.
[Published: 2013]

These guidelines have been produced through an extensive consultation process involving inputs from a large number of specialists. They are prepared in response to requests of the Conference of the Parties to both the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Ramsar Convention. They are designed as a suite of optional tools to assist those with urgent need and/or limited capacity and resources to undertake, where necessary, rapid inventories, assessment and monitoring of the biological diversity of inland water, coastal and near-shore marine ecosystems.
[Published: 2006]

This book is designed primarily for managers of urban protected areas and those responsible for protected area systems, but it has been written in non-technical language with a broader readership in mind.

Global Forest Watch

Global Global Forest Watch (GFW) is an online platform that provides data and tools for monitoring forests. By harnessing cutting-edge technology, GFW allows anyone to access near real-time information about where and how forests are changing around the world.

Since launching in 2014, over 1.5 million people have visited Global Forest Watch from every single country in the world.

Global Fishing Watch

Global Fishing Watch was founded by Google, Skytruth, and Oceana in 2014. Their vision was to launch a transparency platform that would reveal the location and behaviors of commercial fishing fleets everywhere on the oceans through a freely accessible fishing activity map and processed data sets. Their purpose was to protect the world’s fisheries, which are an important source of protein for almost half of the people on the planet and yet, we have allowed them to be decimated by overfishing.

These Guidelines are designed to be applicable to the full spectrum of conservation translocations. They are based on principle rather than example. Throughout the Guidelines there are references to accompanying Annexes that give further detail.

Integrating biodiversity considerations into siting and design decisions for hotel and resort developments is important not only for the continued viability and conservation of the ecosystems, but also for the long-term financial success of the hotels and resorts.